Thorn the Hedgehog: Beta-182
by tangledball
Summary: As his world comes to an end, Thorn must make the difficult decision to flee.
1. Prologue - A Ravaged Timeline

Prologue - A Ravaged Timeline

Beta-182, the universe that was once home to Sonic and his friends, has been brought to ruin. Only a select few of its inhabitants remain. Among them are Thorn and his girlfriend Rayl, 2 hedgehogs who have fought tirelessly to save the world they love. Now, it has become apparent to both of them that their universe is beyond saving. Fire and ashes rain down across the plains while machines scout the land for stragglers, destroying anything in their sight. Deep underground in a hidden laboratory, their last stand begins.

"Rayl, if this doesn't work… please… know that I could never forget you."

"Thorn, you have to hurry. The entire universe is at stake. I should be the least of your worries right now. "

"Right. well, I suppose this is it..."

"Yes. I'm getting ready to fire up the reactor. Get inside."

Thorn turns to the enormous machine that they had spent the last seven years working on. With it, he could perform a dimensional leap, a technique proposed by Rayl, that could theoretically allow him to shatter the world barrier and travel to other universes. Hopefully, wherever he ends up will be safe than here. Thorn lets out a short, painful sigh as he walks in. The door shuts behind him.

"Rayl. can you hear me from in here?" says Thorn.

No response. She can't hear, in fact she isn't even looking his way. Rayl's sight is locked on to the machine's controls.

"You ready?" Rayl yells, knowing that Thorn can't hear her. She pulls a switch.

The machine begins to whir. Thorn can't help but quake in fear. Will the machine even work? They hadn't tested it, there was no time for that. He initially trusted Rayl's intellect enough to go through with this ridiculous plan in the first place, but the feeling of uncertainty is taking over.

"Rayl! Stop!" he shouts, eyes widening, "We can't do this!"

The whirring is getting louder with each passing second.

Thorn begins to scream, "Please! Get me out of here!"

He starts bashing on the walls of the machine, hoping to get her attention.

"Wha…" Rayl whispers to herself, noticing the noise. She looks up and through the machine's window, sees Thorn thrashing about.

"Oh no..."

Rayl snaps to her feet and begins to dash towards the door, but it's too late. The dimensional leap process has already begun, and the automatic lock activated. Thorn stops to look at her, shedding a single tear. He opens his mouth to say something, but falls to the ground before he can speak.

"Shit," Rayl yells frantically. She knows something must have gone terribly wrong.

Just then, a loud crash from behind grabs her attention. Knowing what is probably behind her, Rayl dives behind the wall of the lab's kitchen.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" utters a familiar voice.

"No, it can't be… It's not real," Rayl thinks.

There's no doubt in her mind that the voice is Ashera's, a hedgehog she and Thorn knew that had died over 2 years ago.

"Thorn? Rayl? Anyone? If you're in here, please… I don't think I can last much longer..."

The dimensional leap machine begins emitting a horrible screeching sound.

"How could this all have gone so wrong..." Rayl thinks. She begins to cry. All that she had went through with Thorn, these past seven years that they had been pouring everything they had into the machine, it was all for naught.

"Is that you, Rayl?" Ashera asks.

Rayl knows that her time is up. The hedgehog that's speaking isn't Ashera, it isn't even a hedgehog; It's one of the soul-stealing machines that brought this world to the brink of destruction. She comes out from behind the wall, deciding to accept her fate.

"Yes, it is me."

The being that stands before her now isn't anywhere near sentient, but a floating metal sphere, about 2 feet in diameter, with a single, giant red eye. Behind them, the dimensional leap machine roars. Rayl doesn't dare look back. The sphere's eye darkens to black as Rayl's eyes roll back into her head and she collapses to the floor. Her soul has been harvested. The sphere proceeds to check out the dimensional leap machine, noticing someone inside. It sees Thorn, but finds itself unable to tear the hedgehog's soul away.

"Thorn?" says the sphere, in Rayl's voice.

The dimensional leap machine lets out one last piercing cry, then disappears.


	2. Chapter 1 - Legends

Chapter 1 - Legends

"Whu…"

Thorn wakes up from a lengthy, deep slumber.

"Wait, where… Rayl!"

Panicked, the orange hedgehog gets up and looks around, astonished by what he's seeing: Green grass, stretching as far as the eyes can see, decorated with tall, vibrant trees. The whole area is filled with life, something he hasn't experienced in years. Realizing that the dimensional leap must have worked, Thorn begins to cry.

"If only you could see this, Rayl… it's beautiful..."

He feels the warm breeze through his fingers, then averts his gaze to the peaceful morning sky. His crying quickly transitions to laughter. He doesn't have to be worried about being hunted down anymore. For a fleeting moment, life seems simple again. Thorn lets himself fall to the grass at his feet, and lies there for a while.

Though seeming like mere seconds, several hours pass by before Thorn opens his eyelids once again. When he finally does, he wakes up to a yellow fox inspecting his face.

"Whoa!" Thorn yelps, rising to his feet in an instant.

"Gee, sorry sir!" says the fox, "I didn't mean to wake you!"

"Why were you staring at me like that?"

"Well it's just… I haven't seen you around here before, I wanted to make sure you were okay!"

"Who are you?"  
"My name is Miles, but you seem friendly enough, so you can call me Tails."

"Tails… that name seems familiar..."

"Uhh… okay, so do you need any help then, or are you good?"

"I would like to know something actually," Thorn inquires, "Where are we?"

"Huh? You don't know Green Hill? It's a pretty popular spot."

"No way, this is... Green Hill!?"

In Beta-182, Green Hill was set ablaze before Thorn was even born. In fact, it was the act that started the whole war in the first place. To see it now as it should have been in his world, he finds nothing short of amazing.

"Yeah… now that I've answered a couple of your questions, if you don't mind me asking, who are you exactly?" asks Tails.

"My name is Thorn. I'm from Beta-182. I've come to seek assistance."

"Hmm, I don't think I've never heard of a place like that, but I could bring you to Sonic! He sure is great at helping people!"

Thorn's eyes widen. Sonic! That's where he's heard of him! Sonic and Tails were old legends that used to be passed down through the generations in his world.

"That would be great, actually. Where is he?"

"Just follow me, Thorn! I'll show you where he is."

After a short walk, Tails and Thorn stop at a relatively small, blue plane that looks as if it's seen better days.

"Is this your plane, Tails?"

"Sure is! Built it myself! Me and Sonic used this thing to… Well, I shouldn't bore you with the details."

"Wow, so you really are a great mechanic then, huh?"

"I guess you could put it like that," Tails chuckles, "Wait, where did you hear that?"

"Uh… Never mind. So are we gonna use this thing to fly to Sonic?"

"Yep. With the power of this Chaos Emerald here, this thing gets going in no time."

"Chaos Emerald, huh? Never heard of that."

Tails clicks the Emerald into the front of the plane, then hops in the front seat.  
"Come on, get in!"

Thorn has never flown before, but the idea of it seems exciting to him, if not a bit terrifying. He jumps into the rear seat of the plane. Tails flicks a switch, and the propeller starts to creak. After a minute or two, the plane is up and running, ready to fly.

"Three, two… One!" Tails shouts. The plane starts moving forward.

"Whoa!"

The plane takes off without a hitch.

"So, you said you were from Beta-182, right? Where is that?"

"I'll explain it to you when we get back on the ground, I don't want to distract you or anything."

Throughout the ride, Thorn's mind races. What happened to Rayl? Will he ever see her again? Will he ever return to Beta-182 at all? With all that happened, he didn't even realize until now that the dimensional leap machine is missing. Shouldn't he have woken up inside it? He hopes that Rayl, in some dimension far away, can still hear him.  
"Rayl, if you're still out there… I hope you know I'm going to do everything I can to save you, and everybody else in our world. If you can hear me somehow, please… know that everything is going to be okay."

For some reason, Thorn doesn't feel like that last part is really true. He sheds a single tear, then falls asleep again.


	3. Chapter 2 - Crossing Paths

Chapter 2 - Crossing Paths

Rayl's theory of dimensional travel consists of two main parts:

Firstly, there are two types of dimensional travel: travel through time, and travel through space. All dimensions with the same prefix, such as Beta-182 and Beta-001, represent different points on the same timeline. Theoretically, a dimensional leap from one Beta dimension to another would be considered "time travelling", and any change that occurred as the result of this type of dimensional leap would affect all future dimensions of the same timeline. Conversely, dimensions with different prefixes represent completely different realities, with completely different laws and outcomes. Something that occurs in an Alpha dimension, for example, could never directly affect anything in a Beta dimension, though the dimensions are believed to progress through time at the same rate.

Second, it is neither good for the body, nor the mind to exist outside of one's home dimension. If someone is to stay in some other dimension for too long, the results could be catastrophic. Despite being in this new dimension for not even a day, Thorn is beginning to feel these effects already. He's been abnormally tired ever since the dimensional leap, and is having trouble remembering certain details of his life in Beta-182. If he spends too much time here, it may never be possible to save his world from ruin.

When the plane finally lands, Thorn wakes up. He isn't sure how long h's been asleep for, but he knows that his dream wasn't pleasant. He remembers it vividly; the laboratory in shambles, overrun by the soul-stealing machines. Rayl was nowhere to be seen, but he could hear her voice calling out for him.

"You okay there, Thorn? You look sort of disturbed."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine."

"Well, we're here," Tails exclaims, "this is Sonic's place! He's a hero. He's saved the world from Dr. Eggman countless times."

This is Sonic's place? It doesn't look all that heroic, Thorn thinks. It looks more like a shack to him, somewhere you could grab a cold beverage, not a place somebody would actually live.

Tails knocks on the door, "Sonic! Somebody is here to see you!"

Immediately, the door swings open.

"Oh, hey Tails! Who's this guy?"

"This is Thorn, a hedgehog from… where again?"

"Beta-182," Thorn replies, "mind if we sit down to talk? It's kind of a long story."

"Fine with me," Sonic says. The three decide to take a seat in the lounging area.

"I know this might sound crazy, but Beta-182 isn't a location, per se. It is an entirely different dimension from the one we are in now."

"What!" Sonic exclaims, "you didn't tell me your friend was crazy, Tails!"

"Sonic… hear him out."

"Eh, all right. Can't hurt I guess."

"Uh, okay. As I was saying, I do come from a different dimension, Beta-182. The reason I am here before you now is because my world is at the brink of destruction. Only a few are still alive, and one of them is my girlfriend, Rayl. Without her, I would have given up long ago. It is because of her that I am even alive myself. I owe it to her to save all of Beta-182."

"Unbelievable..." says Tails, "but how did you end up here specifically?"  
"It was by chance. Rayl is a genius, you see. She came up with all these theories about alternate dimensions, and was able to invent a machine that could even leap between them. Unfortunately though, or time was limited, and we weren't able to test it. Neither of us knew which dimension I would end up in, but we took the chance. Anywhere was better than Beta-182, we thought. We hoped that if we were lucky enough, I could land in some other dimension that could somehow offer us some help."

"That's a pretty crazy story, Thorn. I'm not sure how I can help," Sonic replies, "but I'll do what I can."

"And so will I," says Tails, "but I have one question… where is the machine now?"  
Thorn sighs, "regretfully, I do not know. After waking up from the dimensional leap, it was nowhere to be seen. It could be anywhere, possibly even in some other universe."

Thorn looks to the ground with a painful expression, feeling as if he has already failed.

"Don't look so down, Thorn!" Sonic says, hoping to cheer him up, "you know, a friend of mine, Amy, she knows someone who claims to be in a similar situation. Maybe you know them?"

"Wait, are you serious!? Who is it?"

"I don't think I caught her name, but Amy was talking about some girl she found washed up on the beach. She was spouting some crazy stuff, sorta like you, but she seemed pretty dang smart apparently."

Could it be? Did Rayl somehow find her way to this dimension as well?

"Sonic, I need to meet her. She might be someone I know."

"All right, all right. Come along with me, I'll show you the way to Amy's."

Sonic dashes out the shack as Thorn follows, struggling to keep up with the unreal speed that the blue hedgehog is attaining. Tails tries to follow too, but isn't nearly fast enough. Luckily, he knows his way there.

When the two hedgehogs arrive at Amy's, they decide to wait up for Tails since Thorn needs to catch his breath anyway. Tails shows up a couple minutes later.

"Well, Sonic, are you gonna ring the doorbell?" Tails inquires.

"No way, Tails! I thought you were going to!"

"Sonic, you have to grow up. Amy isn't gonna hurt you."

"Ah, all right, I'll do it for our friend Thorn over here, but never again."

Ding dong. About fifteen seconds pass, then the door creaks open.

The pink hedgehog jumps excitedly, shouting, "Sonic! And Tails too, and… who is this?"

"This is Thorn," Tails replies, "He wants to talk to you."

"What about?"

"Rayl," Thorn utters, "is she here?"

Amy covers her mouth in shock, then motions for the three to come inside. On the couch in the living room, lies a sleeping Rayl.

"I… can't believe it," Thorn falters, "it really is her, she's still alive..."

"No way, so you really know her?" Tails gasps.

Disturbed from all the commotion, Rayl comes to.

"What's going on here?" she asks.

"Rayl! How on earth did you make it here!? Did you construct another dimensional leap machine? Or did you-"

"Who are you..." Rayl interjects, "and how do you know my name?"

Astonished, Thorn shuts right up for a moment.

"You can't be serious, Rayl… it's Thorn, remember?"

"I've never met you before. Are you from this dimension?"

"No, I… I'm from your dimension, Beta-182."

"You're not from my dimension. I'm from Alpha-182. How the hell did you get here?"


	4. Chapter 3 - The Alpha World

Chapter 3 - The Alpha World

"What do you mean!? You! You built the dimensional leap machine, you sent me here!" Thorn shouts.

"I wasn't the one who sent you here. According to my theories, Beta-182 shouldn't even exist. It could have been another version of me, but it seems unlikely."

"It was you, I swear it."

"Look, you aren't getting anywhere with this. I have no clue who you are. Yes, I invented the dimensional leap machine, but I only used it to send myself here, and no one else."

"I'm sorry, it's just all so hard to believe. I've found you, this person I've known for years, but you don't even recognize me."

Nobody says anything for a few moments.

"Thorn, that was your name, right? Being that you're from Beta-182 and have come here, that must mean that your dimension was destroyed as mine was."

"Yeah. I came here in hopes that someone could help me save my world." Thorn pauses, then asks "Maybe... we could work together?"

Rayl thinks for a bit, then sighs, "I'm sorry, kid. I don't know how I could possibly help you."

"But why?"

"I'm here to complete a mission; to save my universe. Thorn, do you know what dimension we are in right now?"

"No… nobody here even knows about the existence of other dimensions, let alone which one they're in."

"Well, I do. The dimensional leap machine knows."

That's right! That's how the Rayl from Beta-182 was able to figure out what universe she and Thorn are from in the first place; the machine had the miraculous ability to determine its current dimension.

"Currently, we are in Alpha-267. If my theories are correct, then that means we're in my universe's past. I am here to stop the war from ever happening in the first place. If I can pull this off, then my world should be safe."

"So that's why you can't help me," Thorn realizes, "if you stop the war from ever happening in the Alpha timeline, that won't affect the Beta timeline at all."

"Correct. If you help me with my mission and we succeed, though, then maybe I wouldn't be opposed to trying to figure out a way to reach your Beta timeline. Then, we could go through the same process and save your world as well."

"It's a deal."

"If you don't mind me interrupting," Tails says, "I think Sonic and I could stand to help as well. If it's our future you plan to save, then that affects us all, doesn't it Sonic?"

"I guess so, Tails. It's settled then!" Sonic agrees.

"So, what is it that we must do, Rayl? Do you know the steps that we need to take in order to save the Alpha timeline?"

"I believe I know exactly what we have to do," Rayl nods, "We need to stop the King and Queen from being assassinated three days from now."

"No way," Sonic exclaims, "King Roland and Queen Alice are going to be assassinated?"

"Yes. It is foretold that their future son would become the one to save the universe. Unfortunately, their deaths in my universe meant that this prophecy could not come to fruition."

"I see." Thorn finally begins to feel as if he has a grasp on the situation at hand. "How are they going to be killed?"

"If I'm remembering correctly, it was poison," Rayl explains, "I think something in their food or drink ended up taking them out."

"A bit harder to detect than your average murder," Thorn figured.

"Yes, but we don't need to figure out who did it. We just need to make sure that the food doesn't get to them."

"Interesting," Tails remarks, "how can we do that?"

"It's getting late now. I'll tell you all what I've come up with in the morning."

"Fair enough," Sonic says, "so are we crashing here for the night, or…"

"Oh, yes!" Amy says, after being out of it for quite a while. "You can all stay here, I don't mind."

Later that night, Thorn realizes he can't sleep despite being extremely fatigued since arriving in Alpha-267. He decides to get up and go for a walk to clear his head. On his way out of the house, he notices Rayl sitting on the front porch, looking to the stars.

"Rayl?"

"Huh?" Rayl turns. "Oh. You do remember that I don't know you, right? I'm not the same Rayl you-"

"Yeah," Thorn interrupts, "I know. I was wondering if we could talk."

"You know it's improper to interrupt a lady."

"I learned it from you," he replies, flashing a smile.

For the first time in what seems like forever, Rayl smiles too.

"It's so weird," Rayl observes, "talking to somebody who knows so much about you, yet who you've never met before."

"You think that's weird? Try knowing someone your whole life and finding out they didn't even know you existed until today."

"That must be hard, truly."

"I suppose so, but just having you here makes it all right."

Neither of them knows what to say after that. Nothing can be heard but the loud chirping of crickets for at least a couple minutes. After a while, Thorn is able to muster up the courage to speak again. "What did you mean earlier… you know, when you spoke of how my dimension shouldn't exist?"

"Right. I have discovered that if a Beta timeline were to exist, it would have to have diverged off the Alpha timeline. The only way that can happen as far as I know, is if somehow, some event was to have multiple outcomes at once."

"But that doesn't even make sense."

"You're right, it doesn't, which is why I didn't think a Beta timeline could even exist. And yet, you stand here before me."

"You're amazingly smart, Rayl, but nobody can understand everything. Don't worry about it now, I'm sure you'll have answers some day."

"Yeah…"

"Well, I think I should really get to bed. We have a lot of work to do in these next few days, I'm sure."

"Right. You go. I think I'll stay out here for a little while longer."

"Mmm." Thorn withdraws to the house.

"Oh, Thorn?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for speaking with me. I've never really had someone to talk to like this before."

Just then, it hit him. Thorn is the only person Rayl had ever truly gotten close to. In a world where he never exists, Rayl would have nobody. All the hardships that they went through together, she had to endure alone.

He figures he has to say one last thing before going back to sleep.

"You really are amazing, Rayl."

Rayl doesn't know how to take that. She stays awake for quite a bit longer, continuing to stare at the stars above. Simple moments like these are something she always wished she could have experienced in her own world. Eventually, she is lulled to sleep by the ambient sounds of nature.


	5. Chapter 3B - Survivors

Chapter 3B - Survivors

"What the… what happened here?"

"Whoa…"

"Shut up, Charmy."

"Hey! Vector talked first!"

The trio make their way further into the desolate laboratory. An enormous indentation in the wall catches their attention.

"The hell…"

"Hey Espio, think anybody's still h-"

"Hello?" a female voice calls out.

The three remain absolutely still.

"Thorn?"

Still no response. They know they have to get out of there quick. Over the years, they've grown accustomed to hearing voices like these; voices unaccompanied by footsteps. The three looters carefully make their way through the door they came in. Not a word is spoken until they're sure they're safe.

"That was a close one."

"Thanks to Charmy, we almost got busted this time."

"Watch it!"

"Calm down, idiots. Do you understand what we just stumbled into?"

"That lab, it appears to be abandoned. Something crazy must have went down. Rubble everywhere, it looked like a warzone."

"And that indentation… something huge must have been in there."

"Yo Espio, that journal we found at the entrance. Didn't it say they were working on some sort of machine?"

"I think so, I'll have another look at it."

A few moments of dead silence pass.

"The dimensional leap machine, it says, seems to be able to… travel between dimensions?"

"Could that have been why the lab was so roughed up?"

"Yeah, maybe, but it doesn't seem to be there anymore."

"Does… that mean it worked?"

"We can only hope, Charmy. We can only hope."


	6. Chapter 4 - Drifting Souls

Chapter 4 – Drifting Souls

"Rise and shine, boys."

"Whuuuu…." Tails moans. Sonic is still out cold. Amy doesn't look impressed.

"I made breakfast. Come on, wake up."

"WHAT!?" Sonic leaps to his feet. "Did you say breakfast?"

"Come and get it! Sausage and eggs, and lots of 'em."

Both Sonic and Tails' mouths begin to water.

"I didn't know you could cook, Amy!" Sonic remarks, unknowingly licking his lips in anticipation.

Down in the basement, Thorn still rests. Failing to make it to the couch the night before, he lies passed out on the floor. Not even the smell of freshly cooked delicacies can tear him away from his deep slumber. Rayl is in a similar position. Having dozed off on the porch so late into the night, she sleeps right through the rise of the bright morning sun.

Neither Thorn nor Rayl open their eyes until nearly noon. Thorn is the first to wake. Feeling quite disoriented, he makes his way up the stairs.

"Oh! Is that Thorn coming up?" Amy notices.

"Gee whiz, those two have been sleeping for quite a while, haven't they?" Tails says in a concerned tone. " I guess travelling across dimensions would be pretty tiring, huh?"

Thorn reaches the top of the staircase, saying nothing. He heads outside.

"Uh, Thorn?" Amy calls out to him. He doesn't even notice her.

"Geez, what's wrong with him?" Sonic jokes.

"Rayl. I need to talk to you about something."

No response. She appears to be in an incredibly deep sleep, tossing and turning about.

"Rayl!" He runs up to her and begins to shake her body in hopes that she'll wake.

"N-No!" Rayl screams, shooting up in terror.

"Holy… are you okay?"

Rayl attempts to catch her breath, unable to speak. Eyes wide open, gaping mouth and all, she clearly didn't have a pleasant sleep.

"Rayl, it's okay, take your time."

"I… I'm fine." She finally manages to respond.

Sensing that what she's saying isn't quite true, Thorn gives her a minute to fully regain herself.

"This place is doing something to us," he says, "and it's not good."

"We can't stay here much longer if my theories are anything to believe… I thought we'd have more time." She takes a deep breath. "But this dimension is already taking a huge toll on us."

Thorn lets out a sigh. He thinks about things for a moment, then comes to terms with something within himself. His expression transforms from one of concern, to one of a fiery courage.

"Rayl. No matter what we go through, no matter how hard it gets, no matter how much pain we must endure… We owe it to every single survivor to do everything we can to protect them."

Rayl seems genuinely surprised at this sudden outburst. Thorn continues.

"I used to be afraid, but I don't care if I die here anymore. If we give up prematurely, then we'll never truly know what could have happened if we didn't. And I don't know about you, but I'd rather lose my life valiantly than live on with the regret that I didn't do enough."

"Thorn…"

"I'm going to be honest with you, I never really believed it was possible. I'd already resigned myself to failure before I even got here."

Is this true? Rayl can't believe it.

"I… I'm so sorry. I ran away from my life, from the person I loved, from you. I hate myself for it, I truly do. I was so scared that I ran away from everything." He looks down for a second but regains his passion almost immediately. "But… you know what? I wouldn't take it back, not for anything, because I've met you here, and you've given me the drive to push on."

Rayl is astonished. "But what have I done here that inspired you so much? What have I done that the Rayl you knew wasn't able to?"

Without missing a beat, he answers. "You showed me true bravery, Rayl. Against the odds, despite everything, you still mustered up the courage to come here by yourself with a plan to save everyone. You're twice the person I could ever hope to be, and you've taught me a valuable lesson. So I'm going to really try this time. Not just for me, not just for you, and not just for the other you, but for everyone I've ever known. As long as we can help it, we have to keep trying, for them."

Not knowing what to say, Rayl runs into Thorn's arms.

"We've both been through a lot, haven't we…"

A couple moments of silence later, Thorn remembers something.

"Rayl, do you know where your dimensional leap machine is?"

"Yeah, of course. That's how I got here, after all… Do you not know where yours is?"

"Uhh…"

"Thorn! Are you serious!?"

"When I came to, it was nowhere to be found! It wasn't my fault, I swear!"

"You should have told me earlier… This could be very bad… Not only will you not be able to return to your own world, but if someone else gets their hands on it…"

"Wait, why wouldn't I be able to return to Beta-182?"

"The dimensional coordinates… I don't know the dimensional coordinates for Beta-182. The dimensional leap machine has an emergency return button so your machine would always be able to return to its home dimension. Without your machine, though, there would be no way of getting back home."

Thorn begins to sweat. "Oh no…"

"Well we're going to have to find it. Thorn, we have to begin searching right away."

"But the assassination is in two days! We need to start planning, don't we?"

"Shoot, this isn't good. If only we had more time…"

"Rayl, I think the search is going to have to wait until after we save the King and Queen."

"You might be right, but if something happens…"

"There's no time to worry about this, we have to get moving! You came here for one reason and one reason only! That's what we have to focus on right now."

Rayl closes her eyes and lifts her hands to her head. She can't think straight. Her mind is racing with all the possible scenarios in which things go wrong. She starts to shake her head.

"No! This can't be happening!" she screams.

"Rayl! What the hell are you doing!"

"Everything always goes so wrong; no world is safe now! I shouldn't have made the dimensional leap machine, I shouldn't have come here, I-"

"Listen to me, Rayl! What's gotten into you!?"

She covers her entire face with her hands and begins to sob.

"I-I shouldn't have played god… I should have known something like this would have happened…"

"You couldn't have known! If anyone's the idiot here, it's me! I lost your machine, because I didn't know how to handle it properly! You did nothing wrong, your plan was going perfectly until I threw a wrench in it!"

From inside the house, Sonic, Tails and Amy can hear everything. They know that now isn't the best time to talk to them, that the two should work it out themselves.

"You can't say that! I was careless, I shouldn't have made you go. I shouldn't have come up with that plan to send you here so I could-"

"What the…"

"Huh?"

"You're speaking as if you're the Rayl from Beta-182…"

"Are you sure? I…"

"You talked about sending me here! I don't even exist in your world, how is that possible!?"

Rayl begins to shake.

"I don't know… Thorn, I don't know what's happening… Please, help… me…" she says, then faints.

"Rayl!"

Hearing that last shout, Amy decides to rush outside.

"What happened!?"

"I don't know. She was acting strangely, then just fell unconscious!"

"We need to get her inside."

Amy and Thorn carry Rayl into the house, lying her on the couch.

"Whoa, is she okay?" Sonics asks, clearly worried.

"I don't know… this doesn't make any sense. Have we already spent too much time here?"

"What do you mean?" Tails inquires.

"Rayl always thought that if one were to stay outside of their dimension for too long, they would die. I had no idea it would only take a couple days!"

"Stay calm, Thorn. Nobody's dead yet." Sonic assures. "Are you sure that's why this happened to her? I mean, you seem to be doing all right. You guys have been here for about the same amount of time, right, haven't you?"

"I believe so… but if it's not that, then why?"

Rayl begins to open her mouth.

"Thorn…"

"Rayl! Are you okay!?"

Her eyes don't open. Is she talking in her sleep?

"It's dark in here, Thorn…"

"Creepy…" Tails shudders.

"I knew everything… I'm sorry I lied to you…"

"Rayl! Can you hear me!?"

"The Rayl from the Alpha Dimension… I knew… That's why I sent you…"

Thorn's jaw drops. Is this the Rayl from Beta-182? But how?

"Go through with the plan… do whatever she tells you to… after that, I will tell you what comes next…" She continues. "I gave in purposefully… my soul drifts between planes… I'm still alive in here, but… once they collect enough souls… not just our world, but all worlds… will be destroyed…"

"How are you doing this, Rayl!? Answer me!"

"I have to go now… my energy is spent… you will hear from me again… goodbye, Thorn…"

"Wait!"

Rayl doesn't speak again. She remains on the couch, unconscious.

"Rayl…" Thorn falls to his knees. "You're okay."


End file.
